I'm looking at purchasing a C230 of C280 - 99 to 00 years. I found a local C230 Kompressor Sport that is lowered on a lot. My friend who is an engineer says I should be concerned about buying a lowered car as it was not engineered to be lowered at the factory and thatit could lead to worn suspension parts and tire wear. I see lots of posts about lowering a C Class.

I'm looking for reliable C Class Sport that looks nice so I'm going for a sillver or black color. I'm wondering what I should be cautious for on a lowered car. I have drove the car a couple of times and didn't notice a rough ride.

Also I'm leaning towards a C230 Kompressor vs. the C280 as I'll save some $$ on gas and the supercharger hasa little kick to it.

Thoughts?

 

Regarding ride height and lowering, I think the wheel looks well fitted when lowered about 1 inch.Your engineer friend is correct. Lowering causes noticeable compromisesto the design. Ride and tire wear are compromised if modifications are not made, becauseadjustment requirements are typically out of range of the stock components.

1) Check to see if the tires are scrubbing the wheel wells when turning.
2)Evaluate the shocks to see if they are spongy
3)Is the wheel camber set properly? If not, custom machine-shop work or special parts may have to be ordered to correct the camber because factory camber adjustment is limited.So don't believe that the alignment shop will always be able tocorrect the camber with the stock adjustments. The wheels should be approximately 90deg tothe ground, and not leaning inward much. You can place a 24" framing square on the ground for reference, to see if theyare approximately straight.
4) Look for uneven tire wear resulting from improper camber such as severe wear on the inside edge of the tire.
5) Check for damage under the car fromdriving or curbing.
6) Is the car nicely lowered, or is it a hydrualica-localow-rider?

I've attached a picture of alowered car. You can see that the camberis proper because the wheel is very straight up. This one is actually out by roughly 1/8th of an inch, but has never caused any unusual tire wear. In my experience, anything more than 1/2 inch out will cause harsh tire wear and tracking. The closer to perfect the better.

Blue


[IMG]local://upfiles/10968/0C793A93032942439009FC013C540ABE.jpg[/IMG]

 

I have a 2000 C280 Sport (V6 200BHP) and it is faster then the C230. I only drive the car about 100 miles a week and it is all highway. I tend to get about 26-28mpg.

 

How do I know just how many inches the car has been lowered? Take a look at the below pictures. How many inches should the front spoiler be off the ground so I don't need to worry too much about hitting road driveways and such? I drove the car twice and it rides very well. I had a lowered Datsun 510 years ago and I could feel the bumps on the freeway.

What are thoughts on the looks? Is it too pimp daddy? I'm in my late thirties looking for a sporty ride not a tricked out high schooler car.

Thanks all!

Below are pics from the dealer -

 

You're asking very subjective questions. Forget about what others may feel and instead fixate on what makes you happy with your car.

Also suspension is relatively easy to fix, if i were you I woudl instead make sure that the mechanicals are in order.